Yes, according to the title above, the presence of the Vivo X100 Pro in Indonesia can be said to be very late. Compared to Samsung, which was able to make reservations right at launch, Vivo’s flagship was only available months after its first introduction at the end of 2023.
When it debuted last June, it was undeniable that its sibling, the X Fold3 Pro, looked more attractive. However, the Vivo X100 Pro has its own appeal, thanks to its no-nonsense camera setup. Even though it was released at the end of 2023, until now, it is still able to outperform the quality of other flagship cameras that have officially debuted throughout 2024.
In fact, the price of the Vivo X100 Pro is now much more affordable compared to its launch price in Indonesia, where a number of e-commerce stores are selling it for up to IDR 3 million cheaper. It certainly makes it more competitive, even though it’s not the newest release—and the latest generation is set to be introduced next week.
With the latest, more attractive price, there’s no harm in taking a look at this Vivo flagship. Here is a complete review of the Vivo X100 Pro.
Design
Stylish, but looks and feels bulky. That’s the brief impression I felt when holding and using the Vivo X100 Pro for several weeks. Of course, I can’t expect this Vivo flagship to be thin and light, considering that it needs to carry a number of hardware components including a more superior camera sensor setup.
In Indonesia, the Vivo X100 Pro is only available in one color option, namely Asteroid Black. The surface of the rear glass body is made anti-glare, meaning it is free from fingerprints, and displays a glitter effect—whether it looks premium or not is of course subjective. It is about 9mm thick, weighing about 221 grams. Still lighter than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but feels heavier. How come?
I think this is due to the weight distribution which tends to be heavier at the top—presumably referring to the placement of the camera module. In addition to feeling heavy, the body is also very slippery—slippery than the V30/V40, as slippery as the vivo V29. For users with sweaty palms like me, it feels uncomfortable to hold the Vivo X100 Pro for a long time without a case in your hand.
Overall, the design of the vivo X100 Pro looks luxurious and premium for a flagship released in 2024. It’s just not the thinnest or most comfortable to hold, despite carrying the best hardware combination in its class.
Screen
The premium appearance on the front of the vivo X100 Pro is reflected thanks to the use of a glass panel that has a 3D curve on both sides. This makes the 678-inch screen diameter feel slimmer when held—especially when compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, or even the iQOO 12. And it doesn’t cause any problems at all, like ghost touch or anything else.
The panel used is certainly flagship-grade; LTPO AMOLED, 1 billion colors, maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, and maximum brightness of up to 3000 nits. Make the Vivo X100 Pro comfortable to use, including when hunting for photos during the day. The camera viewfinder can be seen clearly and users can stay focused on capturing the moment.
HDR content support from your favorite streaming platforms is of course available via the Vivo X100 Pro. And to ““show off” the screen, there are quite a few always-on display options to choose from, some of which provide interesting transition effects. The in-display fingerprint sensor is quite reliable—although I think it’s positioned a little too low, given its large dimensions.
Camera
Let’s get to the most interesting part. With a very large module, the vivo X100 Pro camera is supported by three sensors, each of which is classified as high quality, paired with laser autofocus, and ZEISS T* lens coating which is able to reduce glare and other similar effects. all three sensors have the same resolution of 50MP.
The main sensor uses the Sony IMX989 f/1.8 measuring 1 inch, aka the largest on a smartphone today in terms of physical sensor diameter. Meanwhile, the ultra-wide sensor uses the Samsung JN1 f/2.0, supports autofocus for macro capabilities. What about the periscope telephoto? Use a 1/2-inch OV64B—the same as that used on the OPPO Find N3, iQOO 12, and realme 12 Pro+ 5G.
However, Vivo has perfected each sensor through its collaboration with ZEISS, as well as the Vivo V3 chip, which is a hardware component to perfect the performance of its camera system. So even though the periscope sensor is the same, the results can be very different compared to other smartphones. What I like is that Vivo provides quite a lot of focal length options—giving maximum flexibility.
Everything you need is provided through a comprehensive camera app. Starting from vibrant color tone options to more natural a-la ZEISS, portrait effects that replicate many professional ZEISS lenses, to manual mode of course. I also like the long exposure option that utilizes bracketing, meaning it can still be captured handheld without a tripod.
How about the photo results? I can say that the Vivo X100 Pro camera can produce the best photos until this review was made. From ultra-wide to periscope sensors, in a wide range of lighting, it’s very reliable. Even with dozens of times zoom, the details are still very good—perfect for cropping needs. Macro mode that utilizes the periscope sensor is also very helpful in getting details of a particular object or food that you want to highlight.
A little note from me, on how the Vivo X100 Pro camera reproduces skin tones. In some scenarios with certain lighting, it looks a little pale or washed out, or a little bright. Apart from that, I am very satisfied with the results of this Vivo flagship camera.
150+ of the best photos I took with the Vivo X100 Pro, you can access them via the following album.
Apart from photos, the video recording capabilities of the Vivo X100 Pro are also worth a thumbs up. The main sensor supports a maximum resolution of 8K 30fps, while for the ultra-wide, telephoto, and selfie cameras, it can reach up to 4K 60fps. Apart from color and stabilization, the video portrait mode is also optimal in providing a bokeh effect on objects.
However, its ability to capture objects clearly in a long zoom range still cannot be applied in video mode. When compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, for example, at a magnification range of 10-20x, the iPhone can still produce clearer and more detailed footage, while the Vivo X100 Pro is already noisy and grainy. It’s a good idea not to zoom in on videos more than 10x.
Feature
The part of this Vivo flagship that I think is the weakest is the software. Running FuntouchOS based on Android 14, vivo only promises three years of software updates. Far below the average flagship such as Samsung, Apple, and Google. Even Samsung’s mid-range smartphones can deliver up to 4 new OS versions.
Apart from the update duration, I also think the interface looks a bit boring and less stand-out. It might be fun if Gizmo friends really want a UI approach that is close to stock Android. But when compared to the latest One UI or ColorOS, it feels less intuitive. Likewise, the AI features offered are much more minimal.
Unlike the Vivo V40 Series, features such as removing objects from images on the Vivo X100 Pro seem to not be supported by AI, because its capabilities are far inferior. Indeed, in its home country it was released a long time ago. But at least it’s updated with relevant features so that it’s still worthy of being an option—like what Samsung did by bringing Galaxy AI to its flagships several generations ago.
For the audio sector, the stereo speaker setup is quite thunderous, although not the most special. The vivo X100 Pro also has an infrared sensor on the top, and is equipped with an application to control home devices such as TVs and air conditioners.
Performance
Even though it was first introduced at the end of last year, the Vivo X100 Pro is said to carry the best chip from MediaTek. Namely the Dimensity 9300 series with 4nm fabrication—there is indeed a Plus version, but only the clock speed is different, and it can still produce Antutu scores exceeding 2 million points. The rest is still the same, paired with a large RAM capacity and internal storage.
vivo is known to be capable “taming” various types of MediaTek chips, as evidenced by a number of Vivo V Series that can produce the best camera quality in its class, “even though “using MediaTek (also proven on the Vivo X100 Pro). Even for a late 2024 flagship class, its performance is pretty smooth. Starting from multitasking, to trying out a number of popular game titles.
The overall temperature of the device is also quite well maintained, rarely getting hot even when accessing camera features and turning on the hotspot all day long. It seems that the benefit of a body that is not the thinnest, provides optimal space and cooling system in this section. It can have a positive impact on daily performance of course.
Battery
Vivo has indeed developed battery technology that allows for greater capacity in equivalent dimensions. And in its fairly large dimensions, the Vivo X100 Pro battery can be said to be above average. Namely reaching 5,400 mAh, which is quite large.
Thanks to the power-efficient chipset, the Vivo X100 Pro battery is very reliable for full-day use—including when activating the hotspot and taking lots of photos, it can still last until the next morning. With lighter usage, it can easily last up to two days.
A long-lasting battery is certainly suitable when paired with instant charging. With 100W fast charging support, charging the Vivo X100 Pro for 15 minutes can reach around 60%. Meanwhile, to reach 100%, it only takes a little over 30 minutes. The good news is, the 120W charger embedded in the sales package supports the USB-PD standard. So it is compatible with many other devices.
Don’t forget, the Vivo X100 Pro also supports wireless charging up to 50W, and reverse wireless charging. When needed, it can be used as an emergency charger for AIoT such as smartwatches, TWS, and even iPhones—although the speed is of course very slow. At least it is multifunctional. It’s a plus compared to the non-Pro version.
Conclusion
Even though it arrived late, the camera quality of the Vivo X100 Pro is one of the best currently. Three sensors embedded in the rear camera module complement each other for the many types of moments you want to capture every day. Complete with exclusive tones, filters, and portrait effects from ZEISS. What I think is lacking is in the software sector, it still doesn’t have AI features as tempting as its competitors.
Even if it is still considered too expensive, there is the Vivo X100 which comes with the same main sensor quality and exactly the same periscope sensor, and can also be an alternative if Gizmo friends really want the best photo quality. Hopefully the next generation can be present sooner than the initial introduction in the country of origin and globally, so that consumers can try out the greatness of the Vivo flagship in a quicker time.
vivo X100 Pro Specifications
[aps_product_specs id=”12390″]
